Grow your Creative Spirit

Did your schooling foster your creativity?

Was it just one teacher?

Do you treasure what that teacher gave you? Perhaps the sense of fun and of joy in finding out new things? Do you carry that memory into your current work and home life?  I hope so.

 

Was it several teachers?

Lucky you to recall that you had several teachers who showed you how to enjoy learning - perhaps they encouraged you in the love of reading? Perhaps in making things? Perhaps in exchanging ideas with your class-mates? Does that inspire you in your current job?

 

Was it only in the kindergarten and junior school?

Even if it was only in your very young life that you experienced the joy of being creative, do you have memories of what it felt like to play tag in the playground, to mess around in the mud, to build dug-outs, to laugh while getting soaking wet in the rain… is that joy still alive in you?

a group of smiling children running in the rain

Was it throughout your schooling?

Lucky you... is that creativity still alive in your work, your family life and friendships? Is that spirit of joy in discovering new things vibrant among your work colleagues too?

The Best Beer

I attended a lecture some while ago given by Lord Bilimoria, the Founder of Cobra beer - ‘the best beer’, he proclaimed, ‘to accompany Indian food because it doesn’t bloat you like other lagers do.’ It's certainly a claim you might test the next time you eat Indian.

Whether or not you are a fan either of Cobra beer or Indian food, we had a treat that evening with Bilimoria. He’s quite a character... the House of Lords is full of characters in the UK Parliament. Bilimoria founded his company over 30 years ago, and he has gone through 3 devastations which nearly cost him his business. He was frank, funny and delightful.

 

The Creative Spirit for entrepreneurs

So why am I writing to you about this event? His message to all the entrepreneurs gathered to hear him at the University of the West of England was that ‘creativity' is needed in everything, especially to get you out of devastations, which ALL entrepreneurs will meet with.

While leading his own businesses Bilimoria had discovered that to be successful required constant and consistent creativity of all kinds - and he had it! Just read the story of how he began below*.

 

Teachers at his school

In India, Bilimoria told us, his teachers considered him uncreative because he didn’t shine in music or art classes. Not arty, ergo not creative.

In contrast he emphasized that he came to realise that all fields of endeavour need the creative spirit. I totally agree: and furthermore, unlike critical thinking which has rigid universal rules, each of us is creative in our own way.

How should schools foster creativity?

So why is it that schools do not do the essential work of encouraging and enhancing the imagination that leads creativity. I think it is because creativity is expressed individually, in unique ways for each of us. Imagination is at the core of creativity, and it cannot be measured with tick boxes and computer marking. These tick-boxing marking systems are what state sponsored schools in so many countries now require.

a hand ticking a box drawn on a blackboard

•  You can measure getting facts right.
•  You can measure critical thinking to some extent: does this statement logically follow the previous one.
•  Imagination, however, is a celebration of individual freedom which defies any strait jacket.

 

Let us Know

Is there anywhere in the world that has a government philosophy to foster creativity in all its educational establishments? You can contact us here: team@effectiveintelligence.com

 

* http://www.lordbilimoria.co.uk/biography  Scroll down to get to how Bilimoria started out distributing his new beer from his old Citroen 2CV

 

Photos on all blogs under licence from Canva unless supplied by the authors.